Mail receiving and delivering apparatus.



A... D. WA, JK. MAIL REGENNG AND DELNERING APPARATUS.

UNTED Sitriillitdmrtilliltilli FFQE.

ARTHUR DARBY WACK, Ol" FERGUSON, MISSOURI.

MA'IL RECEIVING ANI) DELIVERING APPARATUS.

Application filed December 2li, 1908.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, Airiii en Diner VVAoii,

l `erguson, in the county ot St. Louis and State of Missouri, yhaveinvented a new and useful Mail Receiving and Delivering Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specifica* tion.

'lhis invention relates to apparatus :tor delivering and receiving mailat railroad stations, the object ot' the invention being to Iprovide.simple mechanism whereby the interchange of' mail can be eil'ected whitethe train from which mail is to be rei'ieived and to which mail is to bedelivered is passing .the station at high speed.

Another object is to provide mechanism ol this character which can be upfor use .along a single track or a double track railroad Withoutrequiring ditierent constructions for the two kinds ot railroads.

Another object is to provide mechanism by-ineans of which theinterchange of mail can be eii'ected without danger of injuring .theinail pouch or other object being delivered, no part of the mechanismcoming intov Contact with said object att. any time during the operationof said mechanism.

lith these and other objects in view the invention consists ot certainnovel details ot construction and combinations ot parts hereinafter morefully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the prefieri-ed form ot the invention hasbeen shown.

ln said drawings :--l `igure 1 is a perspective view et the completeapparatus and showing vthe positions of the parts immediately prior tothe interchange of mail. Fig. 2 is an, enlarged plan vien' of one olrthe 4frame-liolding arms, the head oi said arm being shown by dottedlines in open position.

.Referring to the figures` by characters of .reference lY designatesI astandard designed to be located adjacent the ear tracks, and thisstandard is provided at. its upper end ivith-oppositely extending arms 2and 3. sai' arms as well as the standard being formed of any preferredmaterial such, for example as angle-iron, although it is to beunderstood .that it may be formed ol' any other material desired.Secured to the end portion ot' each of the arms is a socket member #ilin the form ot a metal strap riveted or otherwise iasl tened at its endsto t e arms, there being a notch or slot 5 in the upper edge of the strap Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented .Tune 22, 1909.

Serial No. 469,056.

as indicated at 5 to receive the end portions g ol the receiving anddelivering members. a citizen oft the United States, residing at Thereceiving member consists otl 'an arm t3 having a head T at one end andso proportioned as to tit snugly within the socket .member el, While thearm (i is designed to rest within the notch A stem 8 extends downwardlyfrom the other end of the arm 6 and constitutes a bearing for the sleeve9 'formed at. one end of an engaging arm IO. An angular hool: il. isformed at the free end of the arm l0 and constitutes means for retainingthe delivered article or object upon the arm LIO, as hereinafter setforth. Any

suitable means may be provided i'or preventing sleeve 9 :trom becomingdisplaced on the stem S. For example, a bearing or retaining pin l2 maybe extended. through the lower portion oit' the stem S. A lockingdevice, preferably in the :torni of a sliding bolt 153, is mounted onthe arm G and is designed to engage the sleeve Sl so as to hold the arin10 extended at right angles to the arm G and in either directiontherefrom, according to the direction in ivhich the ear is movingrelative thereto. f

The delivering member on the standard l preferably consists ot a head 14detachably seated in one oit the socket members or straps -land havingan extension 15 thereon de? signed to rest in the notch within saidmeniber. An arm 1G pivotally mounted on said extension and is designedto be locked in aliiiemcnt therewith by means of a 'bolt i7 or othersuitable fastening means, said bolt being preferably held in place bymeans o'ta spring '1.8. The arm 1G is provided at its outer end with nhead 19 from which extends a finger 2O disposed at right angles thereto,the outer end ot said finger being beveled and one end of the head 19being t'orrespondingly beveled as indicated at Q1. fi retaining block Q2is liingedly connected to the beveled end 2l ol the head 19 and has atransverse `slot 23 in its free end designed to receive a longue Q4termed at. one end oi' a receiving block 25. This last mentioned blockis hingedl)v connected with the f beveled end ot the finger Q0 .and Whenthe two blocksI Q2 and 25 are in their normal positions n'ilh the tongue24 resting Within the slot 'a rect-angular lopening 2Q is' formedbetween said blocks 2Q and 25 and the head if) and linger 42O. Springs27 are secured to the head and bear upon the respective blocks 22 andQ5, so as to hold them prei c vided with a s side of tac tra the headl).

a vertical y upon the l eeive a cli. used 'for like to the f1 rPhe ineei n carrier, is an exact duplicate of the stanlwd l. lloldi members acar 'it "nu a he sion Si, i i A to be detachahly socket, and au a as at37' po'. ing-` holt 3S t the extension. outer end of arm ic retaininglly mounted has a lool;-

i-eiuent with head und the parte connected constructed in the stun, nia

lcreinbetore described. Ace ing nienioer is detachalily hoede-O formedat one-end ot from which a stein extends, saiAl tem couituting a hearingfor a sleeve e loca s' at one end of arm del on v.'

Arnxs are secured d by means of a s is to be onderste(l locking meansniav e utilized The head s ,ed a

47 similar to the t. ring thereon for the recetiozi et a chain 5G orother suit lastening device, designed to engage a :nail pouch Cl or thelike. stud 5l extends the frame and bears on head B9. so is t lie saineagainst vertical dis*- by the heed.

Eis the arm the stem et@ door to' which a pouch placed within the head33 held in such position ley tl D' i which are liingedly connected tothe head. vThe arzn may then oe swulr u' vardly into alineiuent with theente ift and lo oy means of trie bolt Ellie e can then hc swungoutwardly i sect red by the holt fl, said arni f hethe head @needDarallel. with the side of the einer ding away Yrom the supported .Theapparatus upon the car is d ready tor the interchange of mail. lt is tebe understood that the arin l is to be arranged at the advancing sidetoe car door, while the arn1`36 is to be located at the opposite side ofsaid door.

The apparatus at the stations Where the l interchange of mail is to beeleeted is pre- I Vpared for use by swinging arm 16 into aline- .mentwith the extension l5 and locking it'.

rihe 'pouch Si to he delivered is then secured to i laine 2S and saidframe fastened t0 and by placing it and permit nig the retaining blocks22 and 2:3 to fold thereinto, Arm l0 is then extended at right angles tothe arm 6 and in the direction of the approaching car.

lis the car passes the standard l the hooked end fl-5 et arm 44 willenter the traine 2S and at the saine time the frame 27 will move intoengagement with the hooked end il of the arm l0. The two arn'is 6 andVlt are preferably spaced apart a distance equal to the distance betweenthe arms 36 and Lll, so that the two frames 28 and 47 will hesimultaneously engaged by the arins and rthe Vtrames will be pulled awayfrom the -heads t9 and 39 by the arms 44 and l0, the springs 2T yieldingsuiliciently under th 3e conditions to permit the blocks 22 and 25 toswing into their open positions as indicated by dotted lines in Fim 2.As soon as the frames are withdrawn trom the heads they drop upon thearms land l0, and the hooks on said arms serve to prevent the tramesfrom becoming displaced. After the interchange has been effected thearms can he swung inwardly7 and the frames, with the pouches suspendedtherefrom, removed 'itc the car and on to the platform respectively.

lt. will be seen that this apparatus is very simple in construction,and, by providing the iframes and engaginef' arms, the interchange otmail is positively effected Without danger of injuring the pouches.Although the apparatus is particularly designed for effecting theinterchange ot' inail-bags, it may also he used for delivering otherolojects such as packages of merchandise, ctc.

it is also obvious that various changes' may he made in the constructionand arrangement of the parts without departing .troni the spirit orsacrificing the advantages et' the invention. For example, an arm stlmay he extended upwardly from arm ll and in vertical alinciuent with thestem 42, and another arm G/ may ce extended upwardly from the arm G andin vertical alinement with the stein S. These arms 4:1 and 6 constitutemeans for positively preventing the frames from swinging back on to thearms Lil and 'G respectively.

thereagainst llO What. is claimed is :d l 1. In apparatus of the classdescribed a supporting' structure, a reversible arm de- .taehablyconnected thereto, alining stems projecting in opposite directions fromthe arm, a hooked member pivotallymounted upon one of the stems, andmeans upon the arm Jfor engaging said member to hold it: lixed withrelation to the arm.

In apparatus of the class described a supporting structure, an armextending therefrom, a holding' trame, a head upon the armreceiving;blocks pivotally mounted upon the head and means for holding' the blocksyieldingly in Contact'J with the frame to support said frame against thehead.

t ln apparatus of the class described a supporting Structure, retainingTmembers earried thereby, arms detaehably7 supported by said members, aholding' frame, means upon one of the arms for yieldingl)1 anddetaebably engaging a portion of the 'frame to support it, and a hookedmember pivotally eonneeted to the other arm.

l. ln apparatus of the class described a supporting structure, aretaining member thereon, a head detaehably engaging said retainingmember, an arm pivotaliy connected to the head and mounted to swing inthe direction oi the supporting structure, a head upon the arm,pivotally mounted receiving,` bloeks upon the head, a holding framedetaehably engaged by the head and blocks and supported thereby, andmeans for holdingthe bloeks yieldingly in Contact with the frame.

5. The Combination with a stationary structure', a holdin;v framedetaehably supported thereby, and an engaging arm earried by saidstructure; of a movably supported mechanism includinga detaehablysupported holding trame and an engaging arm, said arms being positionedto simultaneousl)Y engage the respective frames and detaeh them :tromtheir supporting struetures.

.ln testimonv that I claim the 'foregoing as my own, {vhave heretoaifixed n'y signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTI [UR DARBY VACK.

Witnesses t Cf. A. NELSON, (lilas. l/V. DAvis.

